Getty Tom Brady and Bruce Arians congratulate each other on the sideline during a 2020 game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians knows quarterback Tom Brady won’t stay unbeaten against time forever.
Arians told the media on Tuesday that the Bucs will consider drafting a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft next month to learn behind the 43-year-old signal-caller. “If the right guy is there to develop, we wouldn’t be against that,” Arians said per WDAE.
Top quarterback prospects Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Zach Wilson likely will fall early in the first round. Mac Jones, who has drawn Brady comparisons, might not. The Bucs pick at No. 32, and NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks could see Jones going to the Bucs as an heir apparent to Brady.
Finding a young quarterback ranks near the top of the Bucs’ draft priorities per Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith. Arians also said the Bucs want to add defensive speed and depth in the trenches.
“This year, going into this draft, it is going to be the best player … I cannot really say I have ever gone into a draft not having a need, a drastic need, so it is going to be fun,” Arians said per WFLA’s Gabrielle Shirley.
the #Bucs head coach, Bruce Arians, on if he is interested in drafting a running back: “This year, going into this draft, it is going to be the best player … I cannot really say I have ever gone into a draft not having a need, a drastic need, so it is going to be fun”
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Future Backup Plan
Tampa notably doesn’t have another quarterback under contract as both backups Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin remain unsigned. Neither have age on their side at 31 years, but Bucs general manager Jason Licht didn’t rule out Gabbert as an heir apparent to Brady earlier in the offseason.
Drafting for Brady’s successor didn’t go smoothly in New England as the Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. Brady was 36 when the Patriots drafted Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 draft.
Any rookie quarterback coming to the Bucs could sit more than a couple of seasons behind Brady. While Brady signed a one-year extension in March, he hasn’t ruled out playing past age 45.
“Yeah, definitely. I would definitely consider that and, again, it’s a physical sport,” Brady said in a Super Bowl LV Opening Night press conference. “Just the perspective I have on that is you never know when that moment is just because it’s a contact sport and there’s a lot of training that goes into it. Again, it has to be a 100 percent commitment from myself to keep doing it.”
Brady hasn’t slowed down either. He threw for a Bucs single-season record 40 touchdowns last year and won the Super Bowl MVP.
Bucs free agents bought in on Brady being on top of his game as several key players re-signed with the team this offseason to keep all 22 starters intact from the 2020 Super Bowl squad.
Invincible GOAT?
Though Brady has endured few significant injuries during his 21-year NFL career, injuries can still happen to anyone.
He had offseason knee surgery this year, originally called “a cleanup” by Arians, on the same knee where he tore his ACL in 2008. The Bucs anticipate having Brady back for offseason workouts in June.
Arians acknowledged in an interview with the Loose Cannons podcast last week that injuries were an area the Bucs had luck with last season.
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Bruce Arians Makes Surprising Comments on Bucs’ Interest in Quarterbacks